According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Florida has experienced 70 confirmed cases of the Zika virus as of March 23 of this year – all associated with travel. That’s more cases than any other state in the U.S.
The CDC reports only one in five people infected with the Zika virus develop symptoms, which include fever, rash, joint pain, red eyes, muscle pain and headache.
The Zika virus is typically spread by infected mosquitoes. The mosquitoes become infected when they feed on a person already infected with the virus and spread it to other people through bites.
Unlike native mosquitoes, the tropical species of mosquitoes that carry the virus – the Asian Tiger mosquito and the Yellow Fever mosquito – actually target humans instead of other animals, so it is not likely Zika virus will become a problem for livestock.
For more information about the Zika virus visit http://www.cdc.gov/zika/index.html